Albertsons Doublers and other deals!

So here is my recent shopping trip to Albertsons! This included Albertsons doubler coupons and the Procter and Gamble deal they had going.

My total paid was $47.13

Total saved was $78.89 or 63%. 

Not too bad!!

Old Navy Sale! - 30% OFF - here's the code!

Old Navy Sale until 11/8/11. There are some great deals!

Deal of the Day!!! Don't miss this!

This is about the easiest transaction ever!



Safeway has Sobe drinks on sale, buy 10 get 5 free. And they are all priced at $1 each.. Not bad, but it gets better.....

My Safeway has coupons hanging in the aisle. Grab 5 of those coupons and instead of paying $.75 each they are now $.50 each. Woohooo....

Okay, even at $.75 each is pretty good if there are no coupons at your store - but look for those coupons!!! Now you're saving!!

Guess how much? Safeway 10.31.11

A pretty easy transaction too!

I only used 10 coupons - 5 of which were hanging in the aisle too!

Retail value was $60.49....I paid $16.85

I saved $43.64 or 72%.

Prep time 15 minutes including printing 2 of the 5 coupons I went to the store with. Pretty easy!

Safeway 8.15.11

A few great deals at Safeway through 8/16-

Skippy peanut butter $1.09 - use Safeway coupon for $1.59 and some have coupons right on them $1 off 2.

Nature Valley Granola Bars - $1.22 a box. Load coupons though Safeways Just for U deals on their website...

Cheez Its for $1.99 with Safeway coupon

Dannon Lit & Fit Yogurt for $1.49 with Safeway coupon.

I'll post a pic in a bit of what I got, but I only used 2 manufacturers coupons - the rest were all from Safeway - now that's EASY!!!

They also have cereal on sale for $1.49 a box .....Trix, Golden Grahams, Cocoa Puffs, Cheerios and I think I saw some Chex's too. With coupons from the last week you should be able to score 99 cent cereal!! That's what I'm talking about!! LOL

EASY way of saving over 50% - Safeway 8.2.11

Okay, here is the break down....

Total before coupons and club card...$75.04

But I only paid $32.71...even the cashier said "You saved over $42.00!!!"

Yep, that a savings of 56%

While I probably could have saved even more if I drove 45 minutes away or if I had 50 coupons I had cut out but here's my point...make it easy!

Nothing against extreme couponers but I don't have time. I only had 12 coupons with me for 29 items. 7 of those coupons were right out of the Safeway flyer and 1 was off the Skippy container in the store. So there were only 4 other coupons I used that I had found elsewhere. 2 from the Sunday paper and 2 that I had printed. Not so hard, anyone can do that!

If you need help figuring it out, let me know. My email is jmpoolman@hotmail.com. I love to help folks save money! Have a great day - now I'm going to go enjoy the weather! :)

~J

Safeway trip - Guess how much?

Alright, so here is the breakdown. 

Before club card and coupons ......$87.03

After discounts and coupons.....$37.76 for a total savings of 57%!

I had a total of only 10 coupons. It's really pretty easy. I'm going to break it all down so you can see what I did. I'm sure I could have saved more of I was more diligent. I only used 1 online coupon as my Safeway has been pretty difficult with accepting them in the past but no problem today. Total coupon breakdown...

1 Safeway coupon from Sunday paper

1 Safeway produce coupon from their customer service counter

1 online coupon (from Facebook)

7 manufacturers coupons from Sunday papers (all in the last month)

*No coupons used

Here's the breakdown:

4 boxes of Raisin Bran (BIG boxes too) $17.96 - $10 card savings & $2 coupons = $5.96 ($1.49/box!)

*2 bags of Doritos, B1G1 Free, no coupons $3.99 (1.98 each)

2 Boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch $6.38 - $2.40 club card & $1 coupon = $2.98 ($1.49 each)

3 Poptarts $7.77 - $3.30 club card & $1 coupon = $3.47 ($1.16 each)

*5 Gatorade G2's $7.95 - $4 club card = $3.95 (.79 each)

*1 Sunny Delight $1.59 - $.60 club card = $.99

2 pounds shrimp $15.98 - $4.00 club card & $4 Safeway coupon from paper = $7.98

Produce...

3 ears corn $2.07 - $1.07 club card = $1

3 Fuji apples $3.10 Had to have for son - no discount :(

4 White peaches $4.34 - $2.90 Club card = $1.44

Large Bag of Fresh Express Salad mix $4.99 - $1 club card & $1 Facebook coupon = $2.99

1 pound baby carrots $1.99 - $1 club card = $.99

I also had a $1.00 off $5 of produce from the customer service desk. 

I hope this helps those who think it's too much work. It's really not. It's just reading the flyers and stocking up on things you use that are on a great sale. If you have coupons to add, all the better!!

Please let me know if you need help. I'm NOT a couponing queen (yet!) but I am saving on our monthly food budget more than I ever have before! I'd love to help you too!!

Cheers,

Julie 

I have fallen in love!!

Yes, I know I am married to a great guy and yes I love him very much! However a girl can love more than just a guy, right? Well after todays shopping trip to Albertsons it official. I love Albertsons!!

As many of you know I started this experiment in February and I have gotten a little better at it each month.  Well today I had one of my best shopping experiences yet! I saved huge and I got lots of healthy foods and drinks for my family! Everyone in the store was so pleasant and they even help couponers! Albertsons rocks!!

So here are the totals.....

OOP (Out Of Pocket) $ 29.85

Total Value of groceries $105.07

Total SAVED $75.22 or 72%!!!

By the way - all the pasta you see was FREE!!! (10 boxes!)

Broccoflower Soup! Yum!

Super healthy and very good! What can be better?

Ingredients

3 cups raw cauliflower

3 cups raw broccoli

1/2 cup half n half

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 t chicken bouillon

shredded parmesan 

Directions

Boil cauliflower, when cooked puree with half n half and yogurt. 

Boil broccoli. Add puree to cooked broccoli.

Stir in cheese and bouillon until melted, add milk if needed.

Add shredded parmesan cheese to each serving. Enjoy!!

Albertsons Coupon $5 of any $25

If you shop at Albertsons, don't miss this opportunity!


Sign up for the Albertsons® Email

Savings Program and receive a coupon for

$5.00 Off Your $25 purchase - Plus earn up to five additional coupons for each friend you tell.

Albertsons link to $5 savings

Can you beat my score? Suave free product coupons are coming!

I'm getting 2 FREE Suave Professional products just for playing this game!!

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Check out this fun video test! You can get free Suave products and more.

If you get 5 out of 8 right you get 2 free Suave products! 

That's what I scored! Did you beat me?

Suave Professionals Videos

Don't forget Safeway's Friday Only Sale today!!

There's also some coupons for the Pepsi that should make each case $4.00 too!
$2.00/2 Pepsi Multipack from Moments to Save Insert 5/1/11


Coke is also on sale too!


Coca Cola 12pk Fridge Packs $6.29
Buy 2 Get 2 Free + Get 2 Free Boxes of Nabisco Snack


Happy Shopping! - Julie

Double the Value = Triple the savings!

Wow - I loaded up on meat today too! Some great deals at Albertsons today - even better if you have some of those twice the value coupons from Sundays paper!

Okay here's the break down! 

I spent more than usual but I think it was worth it!

Spent $ 64.24  Saved $93.61 Total value was $ 157.85 for a savings of 59%

How did I do this? Well, I did 5 transactions, I had 12 twice the value coupons.  If you have questions I can give more information - just let me know what you need! 

Do you want to make an extra $30 an hour in your spare time?

Okay, I know that sounds like one of those annoying spams you get in your email - but this is real! 

As some of you may know, I started using coupons in February to see if the 'deals' folks talk about are really worth the hassle. By the first of March I was intrigued enough to start keeping track. Up until that time we bought 90% of our groceries at Costco. We filled in at our local stores when we ran out of something and for the few things we couldn't possibly use the quantity sold by Costco. Don't get me wrong, I love Costco. They have great quality and offer products that I will not buy elsewhere. However, we were spending about $400 every 2 weeks at Costco and then another couple hundred at the other stores each month. Surely, a family of three should be able to eat for less than $1000 a month, right?

So I have been tracking the time I spend each month along with the costs versus savings. Here are totals from my spreadsheet!! I average about 8 hours per month cutting, organizing and planning my trips. I hope that as I get better at this that time will go down. I have also noticed as I get my binder more organized it is taking much less time. 

Date	Store	Total Paid	Total Saved	Percent Saved	Total Value
4/3/11	Mitchells	$15.44	$7.83	34%	$23.27
4/4/11	Safeway	$25.60	$30.31	54%	$55.91
4/4/11	Cheney Trading Company	$10.38	$6.32	38%	$16.70
4/5/11	Albertsons	$10.49	$25.30	71%	$35.79
4/5/11	Albertsons	$10.14	$15.00	60%	$25.14
4/5/11	Albertsons	$4.00	$32.21	89%	$36.21
4/5/11	Cheney Trading Company	$6.98	$6.28	47%	$13.26
4/12/11	Safeway	$17.29	$16.13	48%	$33.42
4/12/11	Costco	$250.66	$0.00	0%	$250.66
4/12/11	Safeway	$17.29	$16.13	48%	$33.42
4/18/11	Safeway	$18.73	$30.16	62%	$48.89
4/19/11	Albertsons	$0.49	$10.66	96%	$11.15
4/19/11	Albertsons	$12.96	$14.77	53%	$27.73
4/19/11	Albertsons	$16.48	$65.80	80%	$82.28
4/19/11	Albertsons	$3.90	$11.10	74%	$15.00
4/22/11	Walmart	$23.88	$3.50	13%	$27.38
	Totals	$444.71	$291.50	40%	$736.21

Pretty impressive, huh? So I plan on continuing with this project. I will post next months totals to see if I get any better and do it in less time!

Please check back often! My next step will be to organize this into weekly meal plans that are affordable, healthy, and easy to prepare. Please let me know what you would like to see here and I can add that information too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie

Albertson's SALE! - Guess how much?

 

Okay, here's the breakdown.....

This was done in 3 transactions using Albertson's "Double the Value" coupons.

Total OOP (out of pocket) $ 28.84

Retail value  $ 95.42

That's a total saved of $66.58 or 70%

A Scary Surprise!

 

My 7 year old son was working on something in the kitchen that I was not suppose to see. 

You know how that goes, right? Now he needs scissors. Okay, no problem. 

Now he's asking for something pokey. Hmmm. I'm starting to worry. 

He says "Everything is fine, Mom. Don't look."

He then come running excitely into the room and yells "Surprise" 

He has cut the coupons out of the back of his Cheez-Its box!

He has caught on to the saving money thing! Yeah!! 

What's better?

He then asks me "Mom, do you have a coupon to double it?"  Yes, Yes I do!

Last Day of Albertson's Cereal SALE!!

Guess how much I saved on this??

I did this in 3 transactions, with 3 sets of Albertson's doublers. Not pictured are 4 boxes of Crispix that I also paid for - along with 3 catalina coupons each for a gallon of milk. So in all there are 9 boxes of Kelloggs cereal, 6 boxes of Poptarts, 6 boxes of Cheez-its, 5 gallons of milk, 2 bags of m&m's and a container of  cottage cheese.
 

Full Retail price for all of this - $ 108.21
(not that I would EVER pay that much!) LOL

My total paid today? $24.63                  SAVINGS TOTAL $83.58

Woohooo!!! This is worth couponing!

Tuscan Sausage Ragu --- 5 STARS!!!

You're going to love this! My husband and I both rated this at 5 stars - it is so good!

I picked up the Johnsonville Sweet Italian sausage from the Trading company store. It's on sale  plus there's a coupon you can print too!

Shopping List for Tuscan Sausage Ragu

Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage
(Sale - 1 pound - $2.50 at Trading Company Stores)

$1.00 off printable coupon http://www.johnsonville.com/coupon.html

Pasta - I used bowtie 

Tomato Sauce or Minced Tomatoes

*Also will need minced garlic, cream, diced onion & celery.

* If desired, you can also add sun dried tomatoes.

With this sausage sale and all the great deals on pasta and sauce we've gotten lately - this is a super inexpensive meal! Love it!!!

Tuscan Sausage Ragu Recipe 

Step 1 - Cook sausage in a large skillet.

Step 2 - Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/4 cup diced celery, 1/2 cup diced onion. Cook until onions become translucent. I also added 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes.

Step 3 - Add about 2 cups of tomato sauce. Canned diced tomatoes will work great too.Simmer for about 15 minutes. 

Step 4 - Boil you pasta while sauce is simmering.

Step 5  - Add 1 cup cream to sauce and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes. When pasta is ready, drain and add to sauce and stir thoroughly while making sure pasta does not break.

(Remember to cook pasta Al Dente!)

I paired this with the fresh veggie tray on the side! Double yummy!!!

Don't forget - today is the last day for the ALBERTSON'S CEREAL AND MILK SALE!

Oh - and those Albertson's doublers coupons!!!

Here's the deal explained by The Krazy Coupon Lady if you haven't heard about it....

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2011/03/30/albertsons-coupon-deals-week-of-330/

Cereal for dinner this week? At these prices - maybe!!

Super Fast Broccoli Cheddar Strata

Not sure what to make for dinner tonight?

Here's one of my hubby's favorites and, of course, the ingredients are on sale today at Safeway!

Shopping List Broccoli Cheddar Strata

Eggs
(Sale - 18  Lucerne Large Eggs - $2.50)

Broccoli 

(Sale price $.99/lb)

Shredded Cheddar 

(Sale $2.00 ea for Lucerne)

*Also will need minced garlic, milk, bread or croutons, and cooking spray.

Optional ingredients - diced ham or bacon bits.

Broccoli Cheddar Strata Recipe - 10 minutes prep & 25 to cook!

Step 1 - Break 8 eggs and beat with 1 cup milk.

Step 2 - Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 cup chopped broccoli, 1 cup shredded cheddar. Add 1/2 cup chopped ham or bacon bits, if desired. Mix all ingredients together.

Step 3 - Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Add cubed bread or croutons. Add enough to loosely cover the dish. 

Step 4 - Pour egg mixture on top of bread. You may need to push the mixture around to even out the dish. Sprinkle a handful of cheddar over the top.

Step 5  - Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Hubby always LOVES this dish. I like to pair it with a nice side salad too.

Don't forget - today is the last day for the frozen food coupon too! Buy $15 in frozen food products and get $5 off - great time to stock up on frozen meats and veggies!

Here's some ideas of some stuff to pick up....

The frozen shrimp is a great sale right now - $6.00 off makes it $9.98 for 2 pounds, pair it with a frozen pizzas (Freschetta has a coupon for $3.99) and some frozen veggies (coupon for $1.99 a bag) and add you frozen food coupon and you've got a great deal. Just make sure you have $15 in frozen foods! Now you've got pizza for another dinner for later in the week and shrimp and veggies for a 3rd dinner! I'll be posting a meal plan for the shrimp and veggies later this week! 

PS - I'm thinking frozen peas may be involved if you want to grab some! Peas, please! :)

Penne a la Vodka - a delish dish!

This was tonights dinner and it was awesome- and it's all on sale at Safeway! You've gotta try this!

And you don't even need to clip any coupons on this one!

Shopping List for Penne a la Vodka

Bacon - Hormel Black Label
($3.99 ea)

Penne Pasta - Ronzoni 

(Sale price $1.00)

Canned Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes-Safeway brand 

($.79 ea)

Texas Sweet Onion 

($.99/lb)

*Also will need minced garlic, heavy cream, vodka, and olive oil.

Penne a la Vodka Recipe - about 25 minutes including chopping onion!

Step 1 - Fry 10 slices diced bacon and 1/2 of large diced onion in large fry pan. Drain extra grease.

Step 2 - Add minced garlic and drained canned tomatoes. Return to a simmer.

Step 3 - Add 2ounces vodka and deglaze (cook until vodka has evaporated.) Add 1 cup cream.

Step 4 - Cook and drain penne pasta while sauce thickens.

Hubby rated this at 4 stars. I rated at 5 stars. This will definitely be coming back to our table! :)

Safeway Frozen Food Coupon!!

Look for this coupon in your Wednesday Safeway flyer!! This is such a great deal. Grab some healthy frozen foods. It's a great time to stock up on frozen vegetables & meat AND there are some great deals on fish for Lent right now!

I will plan on grabbing some frozen shrimp and some frozen chicken...



Time to go save some money!  ~ Julie

This week's meal ideas and some extra savings ideas!

Here's some great ideas for the week! Hope your Monday went well!

Some of these items are only on sale through March 22nd, so hurry in!

My best deals are from Safeway yet again. I also want to let you know about their coupon program. You don;t even have to clip anything to save money - it's great. The program is called Just for U and you go through their weekly specials and click to add to your Club Card. Here's the link - check it out to save!

Shopping List for Creamy Chicken Verde Enchiladas

Chicken

(Coupon price 1.99/lb in 4 lb bag = $9.96)

Cream of Mushroom Soup
(Sale price $.89)

Salsa Verde
(Sale price $2.00)

Mission Flour Soft Taco Tortillas 
(Coupon price $.99 - *Just for U loadable)

Kraft Cheese - Mexican Cheddar Jack
(Coupon price $1.99)

*Also will need minced garlic, milk, and Pam or similar spray.

Creamy Chicken Verde Enchiladas Recipe

Step 1 - Cook 2 -3 chicken breasts and shred, this can be cooked ahead and frozen too. 

             (If I'm in a hurry I use the 12 oz cans of precooked chicken)

Step 2 - Mix together 1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup Salsa Verde, 1 tablespoon minced    garlic, 1/4 c milk, 6 oz shredded cheese and shredded chicken.

Step 3 - Portion filling into equal amounts for each tortilla. I use about 1/4 cup in each tortilla and roll and place into greased baking dish.

Step 4 - Mix remaining cream of chicken soup, 1/2 c salsa verde, & 1/2 c milk. Pour on top of rolled enchiladas. Cover with remaining cheese.

Step 5 - Bake in oven for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. 

Top with Sour cream and enjoy!!! Always 5 stars from my hubby! (Serve with salad or a nice green vegetable too!)

Bonus meal idea....

Grab a baking potato (on sale!) for each person and the Green Giant broccoli & cheese steamers, (on sale with coupon). You can add some sour cream and if you want to get really yummy add some bacon bits!!! Super easy and sooo good!

Additional savings alert - I also picked up a bunch of other great deals at Safeway today such as Mini Wheats cereal, Dannon crush cups (my sons fav right now), and so much more. Check out The Krazy Coupon Lady for more items on sale and additional ways of saving with coupons!

(I saved 56% on my receipt with minimal effort). Best of luck!

See you at the dinner table! ~ Julie

Oh dear! I was wrong...

So it's time for me to come clean. Time to fess up. My oh so picky husband was right. And he was a real sport too.

What could all this be about? Well, corned beef, of course!

So I went ahead and made the corned beef. I omitted the cabbage as my husband was threatening to puke if I cooked such a thing. No, he is not Irish. Of course, neither am I. Well, I am a bit Irish but not enough to be raised on corned beef and cabbage! Besides when he said the cabbage would make the whole house stink for days I was scared off. I have a strong aversion to stinky stuff.

So I cooked the corned beef, smothered it in the crock pot and let it cook all afternoon. Then I made some potatoes and carrots to go with it. We sat down to dinner and Nick liked it! He even went for seconds. But that's not all. I didn't like it - AT ALL!!! Here I've been teasing my hubby about being picky and I could barely eat it. I was just sure I would like it too. Well, I guess it's good to try new things, right?

Well, I will not give up. I will continue to try new things. And with that being said, I have bought a new cookbook. I hope to be trying several new things out from the book. Let's just hope they're better than tonight's dinner! And, to all that have a bit of Irish in them, please accept my apologies and you can have my helping of corned beef too! :)

See you at the dinner table! ~Julie

Dinner ideas for the week of March 14th.

Here are some ideas for this week - hope you enjoy them!

Some of there items are currently on sale at Safeway. If possible shop on March 15th to get the best prices.

Grocery List for Shrimp Scampi Linguini accompanied with Green Beans

1 bag Waterfront Bistro Medium Cooked Shrimp (Sunday Flyer coupon $4.99/lb) *must buy 2 pound bag of shrimp
1 box Barilla linguini - $1
1 Lemon - $.50
Fresh Green Beans on sale $1.49/lb

*You will also need these items if not already on hand.

Butter, garlic, bread crumbs (I use croutons), white wine, & olive oil.

Shrimp Scampi Linguini & Green Beans Recipe- should serve about 6 people.

Step 1 -Preheat oven to 350.

Step 2 - In an oven safe pan melt 1/2 stick butter. Add 3 chopped garlic cloves and shrimp, stir to evenly coat. Don't let the garlic brown. Now cover shrimp with bread crumbs. Drizzle with half cup of wine and 1/2 the juice of the lemon. Cover and bake in oven for about 10 minutes. Then remove cover for another 5 minutes.

Step 3 - While shrimp is in the oven boil water and cook your pasta. Also steam your green beans to desired doneness.

Step 4 - Drain pasta, and add a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Now plate pasta with shrimp scampi and add green beans for the side. Done!!!

Here's an idea for another meal from Safeway this week.

Great to serve on St. Patty's Day - get out your crock pot for this one!

Grocery List for Apple and Brown Sugar Corned Beef.

3 lbs corned beef brisket with spice packet - on sale $1.59/lb

1 head cabbage - on sale $.39/lb

*You will also need these items if not already on hand.

2 cups apple juice, brown sugar, mustard, small red potatoes, 2 carrots, & an onion.

Apple & Brown Sugar Corned Beef Recipe - should serve about 5 people.

Step 1 -Mix 2 cups apple juice and 1/2 cup brown sugar in crock pot until sugar dissolves. Add a tablespoon or so of mustard and the spice packet and mix well. Lay brisket in juices and top with chopped potatoes, carrots, onion, and cabbage. Push everything into the liquid.

Step 2 - Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.

Step 3 - Slice meat thinly across the grain and serve with veggies.

Step 4 - Now go to McDonalds because your husband refuses to eat it! Yep, my dear hubby said these exact words "Well, we can try it and see if I puke." Hmmm, apparently he has had a bad experience with corned beef and cabbage. Now I just need to decide on how brave I am going to be on Thursday!

Remember when I said he was a wee bit picky - well, check back soon to see what happens next! Oh, and Happy St. Patty's Day to you all!

Dinner tonight!!!

If you are in need of an idea for dinner tonight - here's my idea!!

All of the ingredients are on sale, but this sale ends tonight!!

Grocery List for Chicken Alfredo with roasted Asparagus (from Safeway)

Frozen Chicken (4 lbs bag) on sale $9.98 (with coupon $7.98)
Ronzoni pasta on sale $1/box
Ragu alfredo sauce (I used the garlic - yum) on sale $1.49 (with coupon $.99)
Asparagus on sale $1.28/lb

* Bonus meal idea....
If you are using coupons use your $5 off $15 from the freezer department and pick up something for dinner tomorrow. (I bought 3 California Pizza Kitchen Pizza's using the freezer coupon and the 3 coupons from the Safeway Frozen Foods booklet.)
Check out http://thekrazycouponlady.com:8080/2011/03/04/0-25-cpk-pizzas-at-safeway/ to see how to do this! ($1.57 a pizza is pretty good - dinner tomorrow too!)
Add a salad to the pizza and you've got a quick, healthy, and inexpensive meal for tomorrow!!


Easy Chicken Alfredo with Roasted Asparagus Recipe

Step 1 -Defrost 1 pound of chicken, cube and fry in olive oil with garlic.

Step 2 - Add Ragu Alfredo sauce to cooked chicken. I also rinse jar with some milk and add that too. Let chicken simmer in sauce.

Step 3 - Boil water and cook your pasta. I used angel hair - so it cooks quickly (4 min)
Cover asparagus with olive oil, place on pan and broil in oven (about 5-7 min).

Step 4 - Drain pasta, and add a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Now plate pasta with sauce on top and add asparagus for the side. Done!!!

Enjoy -my husband rated at 5 stars!!!! And he's a picky eater....more about that later! :)